Text: Ruth 1:1-12
Memory verse:
“And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.”
Ruth 2:11 NKJV
Someone once said, “There’s something wrong with your character if opportunity controls your loyalty.“
Lack of character causes some to stop being friends because the benefactor has nothing to offer anymore. “Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them all away. “ (Prov. 19:4 NLT). Likewise, some, who were once prominent and active church members go to the background or withdraw from church because their circumstances changed. No element can be more upsetting to any relationship, group or an organization than a disloyal person. This was what the Lord Jesus meant when He said, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 GNT). A disloyal member is no use for the kingdom!
That wasn’t the case with Ruth. She was loyal to her husband and to her marriage vows throughout her ten years of marriage. This reflected in Naomi’s prayer. “.. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me.” (Ruth 1:8 NLT).
Secondly, she was loyal to her mother-in-law during her sons’ lifetime and after. There are wives and husbands who turn their spouses against their parents and prevent their spouses from caring for their aged parents. Her loyalty was known to everyone in Bethlehem, according to our memory verse.
Thirdly, Ruth was loyal to God, whom she knew through her husband and whom she related with through Naomi’s life. She had earlier renounced the gods of Moab and had determined to serve the God of Israel. God was therefore the basis of Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi. Ruth’s loyalty stood apart from Orpah’s loyalty here. It wasn’t a blind or carnal loyalty. If not, she would have chosen to go with Orpah, her Moabite sister instead of risking her life in a foreign land and for a seemingly hopeless future with Naomi. Rather, she chose what was godly, good and right in the sight of God. When you are tested, will you stand for God, the truth, what is good and right in God’s sight or will you choose to please your friends, families and relations instead? So, was Barzilla the Gileadite, an eighty years old man, who stood for the truth and risked his life to identify with king David, when others transferred their loyalty to the rebel and self-proclaimed king Absalom (2 Sam 19:31-32).
Friends, loyalty is God’s trademark. He sticks to His promises. He is the God of truth and will not associate with untruthfulness. He also calls us to keep our promises and to stand for what is right, irrespective of the costs. May you not fail Him in Jesus name.
Prayer points
1. Father, please, help me never to disappoint You when my loyalty is tested in Jesus name.
2. Father, help me to always stand for the truth and to choose what is pleasing, good and right in Your sight in Jesus name.
Today’s declarations
1. I am loyal when I stand for God, the truth, what is right and good rather than for friends, kinsmen relations and what is untrue.
2. My loyalty is best tested in crisis times and not controlled by opportunities.
Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng